Everyone loves saving money and getting bonuses. One of the best ways we’ve found to do that is by using the Shopkick app. The company has been around since 2009, so this is no fly by not operation. There’s no doubt that the answer to the question “Is Shopkick legit?” is a resounding yes.

What is Shopkick?

Shopkick is an app that gives you rewards that get you free stuff and save you money for shopping. The app doesn’t cost anything – it’s completely free. That means you’ve got nothing to lose and plenty of great bonuses to gain.

One of the best parts is that you hardly need to change anything about what you already do to get the most value possible out of the app.

How Does Shopkick Work?

Shopkick is a rewards app that gives you points, which it calls “kicks” when you do offers on the app. There are a few different types of offers, but they mostly involve shopping at stores.

You don’t need to make special trips that you weren’t planning, you can just use the app to see what offers are available near you when you go out shopping. As a result, the way the app works is very convenient to your existing schedule.

Pros and Cons of Using Shopkick

It’s true that there’s no such thing as a perfect app. Every product or service has its own mix of benefits and drawbacks. What matters is that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

We’ll list out the pros and cons of Shopkick and give you our judgement. After that, we’ll give you a guide to using the app so you can start to weigh the pros and cons yourself.

Pros of Shopkick

There’s a hefty number of pros that go Shopkick’s way. Here are some of the biggest ones:

You get fast, convenient information about the sales in your area, saving you time

The interface is user-friendly

Shopkick rewards are legit – you get free gift cards and more

It’s really easy to earn kicks

As you can see, there’s a lot going for Shopkick. That’s because of how easy it is to work the app into the shopping you already do. Combined with the fact that it’s free, it’s a great way to earn awesome rewards and save money on sales.

Cons of Shopkick

There are a few drawbacks when using Shopkick that you should consider before you dive right in. Shopkick’s issues include:

Depending on your situation, it can take some time to get the points you need

It’s easy to tell that these are some fairly substantial list of drawbacks. It’s not a good app if you don’t like your data being collected. It’s also not the best way to earn lots of points fast for many consumers. Finally, if you want your rewards in the form of cold, hard cash then Shopkick isn’t right for you.

So, Is Shopkick Worth It?

For most people Shopkick is a great tool to earn awesome rewards and save money. It’s not a good option for the people that feel strongly about the things we listed in our cons section.

However, almost all of the drawbacks we listed for Shopkick apply to almost any rewards app. That means if you currently use rewards apps, then adding Shopkick won’t really change anything about your life.

Moreover, the app is so easy to use that it really reduces the effects of the other downsides. You also get up-to-date information about important sales that are going on at the stores around you. This can help you save some extra money on your shopping bill.

As a result, the positives easily outweigh the negatives in our opinion. But don’t make up your mind just yet. The next section is a step by step guide to using Shopkick. Check out the guide, and then decide if you agree with us.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using Shopkick

Here’s the list of steps you should take to use Shopkick. We’ll tell you how to get the app and how to get started. Then we’ll look at some of the ways you can earn kicks.

Download the app

The first step is easy. Just download the app. You can get it from the App store or from Google Play.

Choose a Reward

After you open the app, you’ll be asked to choose a reward. You can pick from several gift cards and see how many kicks you need to get each card.

Don’t worry too much about this step just yet, as you can change your choice any time in the preferences.

There are several different options for rewards at any one time. The kicks each gift card requires is related to the value of the gift card. That means you can look for different denominations of the same card to see if you want to spend your kicks now or work towards a better reward.

Create an Account

Once you choose your reward, you’ll be asked to create an account. You can do so with Google, Facebook, or your email address. You’ll get a message with a verification link. Shopkick also asks for your date of birth and gender. That’s the whole process.

Invite Other People

After you create an account, Shopkick asks you to invite friends. You can do this at any time, so it’s up to you whether you want to do this. However, like with most other rewards apps, you’ll get bonus kicks for each friend you refer after they make their first in-store action. As of this writing, the bonus was 250 kicks.

Complete Offers

Now all you have to do is complete offers. You’ve got several different ways to earn points from Shopkick. We’ll cover the different types of offers in the next section.

The nice thing is that most stores have multiple offers running at the same time. That means you can plan your shopping around getting the most kicks possible if you are close to getting the gift card you want.

Types of Shopkick Offers

This looks at the different ways there are to earn kicks so you can get free gift cards. See if you agree with us that it’s actually really easy to incorporate into the things that you already do.

It’s important to note that every type of offer isn’t available at every store. Also, you should keep in mind that there are some stores that don’t participate in Shopkick, particularly local stores.

However, it’s easy to see what offers are available in your area from the app. You can scan the different offers and figure out how to get the most kicks pretty easily.

Visit a Store

The first type of offer is to visit a store. Just walking into a store will earn you points. It’s the fastest way to get some kicks.

Scan Items

The next type of offer you can complete is to scan items. There are different specific things you can scan and options to scan any product. Items range from 15 to 50 kicks reward when you scan them.

Linked Cards

You’ll also get kicks from linking your credit or debit card to your account. The mere act of doing this will generate a kicks bonus. You can also get a bonus if you use your linked card to make certain purchases at the store you’re at.

Receipts

The app can also ask you to scan receipts after you’ve made a purchase. That will give you a varying amount of kicks as well.

Shop Online

Finally, you can earn kicks by shopping online. However, this option is a bit different from the in-store options that you normally use. The key difference is that you get kicks for every dollar you spend. The number of kicks you get per dollar changes based on the offers from different stores.

There are several large websites that give kicks for spending money on their sites. Some of the biggest include eBay, Hotels.com, Spring, and Apple.

Redeeming Your Kicks

The process of redeeming your kicks is also very straightforward. When you hit the needed number of points for your reward you’ll get notified. When this happens, you can either redeem the reward or you can change the reward that you want.

That’s why we don’t think you should worry too much about what reward you pick when you first sign up. You can choose whether or not you want that reward after looking at the other current options when you get enough kicks to get the free gift card.

We actually recommend picking one of the lower-level rewards to start out with so you can get notified early. That way you can stay on top of the different rewards that Shopkick is offering and make sure you’re getting the best deal. If you see a better reward than the one you’ve currently got, just change it.

Ways to Earn Kicks Fast on Shopkick

If you decide that Shopkick sounds like a great option for you, then you’ll want to know how to earn the most kicks.

We’ve put together this handy list of things that you can do to earn the most kicks possible.

Referrals are a Gold Mine

The first step to getting a lot of kicks fast is to use referrals. The 250-kick bonus you get after your referral performs their first in-store action is a great boost and can get you some of the lower-value gift cards by itself.

You also get more kicks for referrals based on the number of referrals you get. You can get up to 2,500 kicks per friend you get to use the app. You’ll also get a share of the kicks they generate for the first two weeks they use the app.

The Shopkick app makes it really easy to send referrals. You can instantly send a referral link to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pintest, and other popular social networking apps.

This is also great because you can repeat it whenever you want. That means you can invite people whenever you want to get yourself over the kicks you need.

Keep Alerts On

It’s also a good idea to keep alerts on. This will notify you of the different offers that are going on around you. As a result, you can stop in for free kicks if an offer comes up while you’re out and about.

If you don’t like having notifications on, then you should make sure to check the app often while you’re shopping. You never know when a new deal will pop up that will take you no time to complete or when simply changing the order you go to the stores in will get you some more kicks.

Scanning Items Makes a Big Difference

Walk-in kicks are nice, but the real boost comes from scanning items at the stores. That means you’ll get more value out of the app if you frequent large stores that participate, like Walmart and Target.

The items can get you from 15 to 50 kicks per scan, and all you need to do is scan the barcode next to the item’s name on the shelf. These extra kicks build up really quickly, especially if there are multiple offers at one store.

Follow the Shopkick Blog

Shopkick maintains a pretty good blog that will keep you informed of the latest updates and tips to maximize your kicks. One of the best parts of the official blog is that it’s information coming straight from the company. That means you don’t need to worry that you’ll find out the offer isn’t real.

Link Your Card to the App

Linking your card to the app is another way to boost the points you get. It’s easy to do and acts as a nice bonus.

Pick Your Stores Based on Offers

You should look over the different offers available at different stores. That way you can pick and choose what offers you can do to get the most points. For example, your grocery store might not have many offers at the moment, whereas Walmart does. That means you can go to Walmart instead and earn kicks as you shop.

You should also learn to spot valuable offers. One of the best offers is to scan any item. This offer usually gets you 25 kicks and doesn’t require you to go much farther than the door into the store.

Check the App for Extra Offers

You can also earn kicks by doing things like watching a short video through the app. You can get to these options by clicking the discover option on the bottom of the app interface. These videos are usually ads and well generally offer about 5 kicks each. It may not seem like much, but it can really build up over time.

Is Shopkick a Scam or Legit? Our Judgement

With more than nine years in business, we can confidently say that Shopkick isn’t a scam. Instead, it’s a free way to earn gift cards for doing simple tasks at stores that you probably already go to. You don’t need to spend any money to get kicks, and you don’t need to change anything about your routine.

All of that combined with the easy-to-use interface and the fact that there’s plenty of great offers in most areas means that we think Shopkick is a legit deal for most people.

Not only is the app itself easy to use, but it’s also easy to max out your points. Scanning a barcode at a store is easy to do and doesn’t take but a second or two as you’re going by anyway.

However, we realize that what’s right for some is not right for all. We recommend you download the app and see what kinds of offers are available in your area. If there are lots of offers around you, then you’re probably going to be able to get the most value out of the app.

However, if you live in an area without a lot of stores that have offers, then you may want to find other ways to earn free gift cards. That’s because a limited number of offers slows down the rate at which you earn kicks. As a result, it will take you much longer to get any rewards, reducing the value you get from the app.

So, there you have it, we think Shopkick is a good option for lots of shoppers, but the best way to find out if it’s good for you is to download it yourself. You don’t need to commit to it or keep it if you don’t like it or if it doesn’t do anything for you.

FAQ

General Questions About Shopkick App

If you are interested to use the Shopkick App, this section provides you with a list of questions you will normally ask on your first encounter with the app. Check out the corresponding answers to get the information you need.

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What is Shopkick?

Shopkick is a shopping app that was developed by an American company based in Silicon Valley. It was created for the smartphone or tablet to enable users to earn rewards when they shop online or for their in-store purchases.

How does Shopkick work?

To use Shopkick, you must first download the app on your phone. Whenever you shop (online or in-store), you will collect points for that that you can exchange for real-money rewards, discounts, and gift certificates.

Is Shopkick safe?

Yes. Shopkick is a legitimate app that you can use to take advantage of rewards and discounts if you do a lot of shopping online and in-store.

How does Shopkick make money?

Shopkick earns commissions from retailers that they have partnered with. Most of these retailers claim that Shopkick app is helping drive their revenue by offering rewards to customers.

Is Shopkick legit?

Yes. The company behind this shopping app has been in the app rewards industry for many years. It is one of the biggest shopping apps in the market today.

Does Shopkick really work?

Yes. Many Shopkick users have been able to use the rewards offered through the app and it has also helped retailers boost their sales.

How does Shopkick technology work?

Shopkick is a mobile shopping app that provides over 10 million users access to rewards for their shopping activity. This platform is designed to help retailers and marketers boost sales while also enabling consumers to enjoy rewards for their activity.

Is Shopkick free?

Yes. Shopkick can be downloaded for free on your smartphone so you can get rewards and gift cards.

Are there similar apps to Shopkick?

There are several shopping apps out there that enable you to earn rewards and points. Some of these shopping apps are Mobee, Swagbucks, iBotta, and Receipt Hog, among others.

How to Use Shopkick App

Want to fully utilize the offers and benefits of Shopkick App? Find out how in this section as we answer some of the frequently asked questions for those who want to know how to use the app.

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How to use Shopkick rewards?

If you want to redeem your Shopkick rewards, you must go to your account and click “See All Rewards”. Choose the reward that you want from the list provided. Choose the denomination for the reward that you wish to claim. The reward can be in the form of discount to you purchase or gift certificate, etc.

What is Shopkick scans?

Shopkick scan is the process in which you can earn rewards at the shopping app. When you complete a scan, you will earn what is known as “kickbucks” or the in-app currency.

How to get more kicks on Shopkick?

Check the ‘Earn’ tab on the app to see if there are opportunities near you to earn kicks. Whenever you shop, always scan it on Shopkick in order to accumulate points under your account. There are many stores that would give you kicks simply for walking through the door!

How to print Shopkick gift cards?

You must first redeem your rewards on your Shopkick account. Choose gift card and the gift card information will be shown. You can print this gift card and use it to save on your next purchase.

How to redeem Shopkick rewards at Walmart?

Choose the gift card option when redeeming rewards at your Shopkick account. Print the gift card and use it on Walmart to earn discounts and other specials.

How often does Shopkick add new scans?

You need to open the app at least once a week so you can see any new scans and opportunities in your area. New opportunities to get kicks can show up any time.

How to get Shopkick points?

You can earn points when you refer friends to the app. You also should take advantage of every opportunity. Always use the app when you walk into a store, or when you shop with friends.

How to scan items on Shopkick?

Go to the ‘Scans’ tab on the app and choose the products you wish to scan. Simply hold your phone (the camera) against the item’s bar code and it will scan automatically. When you complete a scan, you will automatically earn kick points into your account.

How to scan a receipt on Shopkick?

Simply launch the app and take a photo of your receipt. This will enable the receipt to be scanned and you will earn points on your account accordingly.

Do Shopkicks expire?

No. The points you earn will never expire so you can let those points accumulate until you have enough to make a purchase. The only time the points will expire is when you have extended inactivity on your account.

Does Shopkick mail gift cards?

There are different forms of redemption available with Shopkick rewards. Some will be sent to you via email and a few others can be sent through mail.

How long does it take to get Shopkick gift cards?

Most rewards are available instantly but some can take hours depending on the level of activity at Shopkick by the time of redemption.

How much are Shopkick gift cards worth?

There are different denominations to choose from when redeeming Shopkick gift cards. The lowest value is $2 with the highest value at $50.

How to earn Shopkick points fast?

There are many ways to earn Shopkick points fast. One is to bring your friends with you when you shop. You can add their purchases to your Shopkick account. You can also take advantages of stores that allow you to earn Shopkick points simply for visiting their store.

How to get free kicks in Shopkick?

Shopping is not the only way to earn points at Shopkick. You can also watch videos or Shopkick lookbooks for free kick points. You can also exploit the opportunity to get kicks by simply visiting a store without the need for a purchase.

How to use Shopkick gift cards?

You can use your digital or physical gift cards to shop at any of the partner merchants for Shopkick. Simply redeem the specific value of the gift card you would like to use to get started using it.

Why won’t my Shopkick work?

If you are having trouble opening or using your Shopkick app, you can re-install the app. You won’t lose your points as long as you have a registered Shopkick account. You can restore your points as soon as you log back in.

Can I save Shopkick gift card for another time?

Your Shopkick points will never expire so you can always save up your gift card rewards until you are ready to use them.

Can I use my Shopkicks Walmart gift card online?

Yes. Shopkick enables you to print your gift cards or use digital gift cards so you can definitely use them for shopping online.

Can you transfer Shopkick points?

No. It cannot be transferred to another account, and it does not have cash value. It can only be used within the Shopkick program.

Can you type in barcode number Shopkick?

No. You can only digitally scan barcodes to Shopkick. Typing them in is not allowed.

Can you use the Shopkick app on a Galaxy Watch?

You can use Shopkick app on any iOS or Android devices. However, the Galaxy watch is a smart watch and the app is only suited for smartphones and tablets.

Do I file my Shopkick rewards on my taxes?

There is no need to unless this is your way of making a living.

Do Shopkick gift cards expire?

No. Shopkick gift cards will not expire. But you must avoid inactivity so your rewards won’t be void.

Do you need internet for Shopkick?

Yes. In order for your shopping receipt to be scanned, it must be connected to the Shopkick servers. Make sure you are connected to the internet when using the app.

Does Shopkick have Amazon gift cards?

Yes. Shopkick has recently partnered with Amazon so it is now possible to redeem your Shopkick points in the form of Amazon gift cards.

Does Shopkick know when you scan barcodes online?

Yes. Your points will be added in real-time whenever you scan receipts of the purchase made.

Does Shopkick work on ipad?

Yes. Shopkick is available on all iOS devices such as the iPad. It is not currently available to Android tablets, only smartphones.

Does Shopkick work without Wi-Fi?

Yes if your phone has its own internet connection. However, you need to be connected to the Shopkick servers to use it.

How does Shopkick work at Target?

You can earn points on your Shopkick account by simply entering a Target store. You can also earn additional points when you shop any items from Target. Simply scan the barcode of the items purchased to earn “kicks”.

Managing Your Shopkick Account

If you are looking for any information about managing your Shopkick account, this section will cover that for you.

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How often does Shopkick update?

Shopkick will update every once in a while. It can be daily or weekly. To make sure you don’t miss any opportunity, you must log into the app daily or once a week.

How to contact Shopkick?

If you have any questions or concerns about the Shopkick app, you can contact them using information available on their website.

How to delete Shopkick account?

If you want to delete your Shopkick account, you can email to [email protected] with the subject line: “please cancel my Shopkick membership”.

How to unban yourself from Shopkick?

You may contact Shopkick directly about why your account was banned and how to reactivate it.

Can I check my kicks on my laptop Shopkick?

No. Shopkick can also be accessed using a mobile device such as smartphone or tablet.

Do you need a sim for Shopkick?

There is no need for a sim to open a Shopkick account. Simply download the app to your mobile device and register using your email account.

Does Shopkick block your phone once suspended?

The Shopkick app will not be blocked on your phone but you will be deprived of the chance to access your Shopkick account or any information you provided upon registration.

Does Shopkick work on ipod touch?

No. While the Shopkick app is available to iOS devices, it is not available to the iPod touch because the latter does not support microphone and camera.

Does Shopkick work on Windows phone?

No. Shopkick is currently available only for Android and iOS devices (tablets and smartphones, except Android tablets).

How to change my location for Shopkicks?

Once you have activated GPS on your phone, you won’t be able to manually edit your location and it will be automatically detected by the system.

How do I log in to my Shopkick account?

If you want to access your Shopkick account, simply launch the app on your phone or tablet. Input your login credentials and you will find all the information associated with your account, such as rewards or points.

Jordan Beaumont

Financial Guru

Jordan's work focuses on helping people reach their financial goals so they can spend more time with family and friends and less time worrying about their budget. After finishing college with a degree in Accounting and Communication, he realized that these are the most important things in life and that people shouldn’t miss out because of money.